Tara Vinodrai

Tara Vinodrai is an Assistant Professor in the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED) and the Department of Geography and Environmental Management as well as an Assistant Director of the Economic Development Program (EDP) at the University of Waterloo. She is interested in the geography of innovative activity, the dynamics of urban economies and the role of institutions in shaping them. Her current research addresses issues related to the creative economy, innovation and technological change, local and regional economic development, and local labour market dynamics. She is working on several projects related to emerging clusters, innovation and economic development; highly skilled workers, mobility, and quality of place; the role of universities in economic development; and the role of local and national institutions in supporting design-led innovation and industrial upgrading in response to economic restructuring and change.

Previously, she has worked in the Microeconomic Analysis Division at Statistics Canada. She is a member of the Innovation Systems Research Network (ISRN), as well as a research affiliate of the Program on Globalization and Regional Innovation System (PROGRIS), the Cultural Economy Lab, and the Martin Prosperity Institute, all housed at the University of Toronto.